


Mission Mishap

by Merfilly



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Feelings Realization, Miscommunication, Other, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-06 10:20:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13409196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: When a mission basically forces Bones and Spock to hold hands, there's a misunderstanding on both sides. Luckily, Kirk has a cure, and neither man tends to shy away from truth.





	Mission Mishap

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GoggledMonkey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoggledMonkey/gifts).



Spock kept his face absolutely still as the requirements were read out for the negotiations. McCoy, on the other hand, could not stop arching an eyebrow and rocking back and forth on his heels.

Kirk was managing to hide his thoughts on the matter.

Resolutely, Spock held his hand out, followed by the good doctor a moment later. The hesitation was brief but noted by both the executive officer and the captain. When skin contact was made, and the indigenous leader began binding their hands together, Spock did all he could to remain in his own mind.

He was curious at the fierce, strong walls from McCoy, and wondered if he had misread the years of witty banter as hiding actual distaste. That could complicate the necessity of them showing their ability to work together as proof of the Federation's commitment to peace between worlds… or perhaps not. They were both professionals, after all.

* * *

The challenges of the locals had not been that complicated, even with the lack of one hand, Len decided. The hardest part had been knowing Spock had been — 

Well, there was no need to mince around it in his own head, now that they were separated. Spock had been forced into an intimacy that was far outside the norms. Len could only hope he'd managed to keep his mind locked down tight enough to not add to the ignominy.

He'd just pretend like it hadn't happened, let Spock sweep it away as logical necessity, and go back to life as usual. If Spock did actually unbend his pointy head enough to talk it out, Jim would be there for him.

At least he'd kept his private-most feelings about Spock hidden away, or he hoped he had.

* * *

James Tiberius Kirk was absolutely fed up with the sudden Cold War, detente, possible armistice, or whatever this was, between his two best friends. Ever since that ridiculous incident on their last away mission, the pair had been… not themselves.

Bones, for one, was not taking the quick punch of words he normally would, despite Spock having set up one or two golden opportunities. Spock, on the other hand, was finding legitimate but convenient reasons to depart their company at every chance.

Jim wasn't certain what had happened, beyond knowing that the hand-binding had forced physical touch on Spock, which wasn't great for a telepath. He got that part. But why were they no longer the backbone of his command staff, with nettling words and a synchronicity that defied explanation?

Well, it so happened that there was a need for a supply run by shuttle, with a request for a medical officer, at the upcoming listening post. Jim smiled to himself; he'd assign Spock to go as pilot on the pretense that a qualified science officer should pick up their data.

* * *

Spock did not protest the assignment as much as he would have wished to, trying not to betray any emotional difficulty with the current situation. He was growing irrational over the lack of verbal fencing, even as he endeavored to respect the deduction that McCoy did not care for the interactions and had turned to biting humor to hide that.

Humans were, to this day, the most illogical sapients he had ever dealt with, barring his mother, perhaps.

McCoy, for his part, settled in after checking the supplies, and limited himself to a single loud sigh of complaint.

For a moment, Spock thought to offer something about the lack of using a transporter this time. He chose not to, avoiding further interaction — 

"Well, at least it's not the transporters," McCoy said in that moment, reminding Spock of how convergent their thoughts and timing could run, a habit born of so much time spent together.

"That thought that you would be comforted by that crossed my mind, Doctor."

As the words came out, Spock wondered at the weight of them. Comfort was not something he typically offered, or requested, and yet… it was what he wished, most illogically, to exist once more.

"Humph. Pointy-eared hobgoblin who thinks he knows me so well," was the rejoinder, making Spock irrationally pleased, for it was a normal response, just before he came back to the memory of that tightly shielded mind. He let it go with an eyebrow arch, and said nothing.

* * *

Len closed his eyes ten minutes later, containing the sigh he wanted to make. It was a longer flight than most, because the _Enterprise_ had dropped them on a vector for the station before continuing on to map a system. They would come back for the shuttle at a preset coordinate and time.

Right now, he regretted not sending Chapel. She liked Spock's company well enough, got along fairly well with him despite the soup incident, and was a perfectly competent medical officer.

Had it really been that bad?

Len kicked himself in the mental pants; of course it had been. Maybe he should apologize?

"Look, Spock," he began, opening his eyes and turning his body enough to dangle a leg over the arm of the seat, wrapping his hands around that knee. He hoped it was as disarming and therapeutic a pose as he could get. "I am sorry that those natives thought I was the better human to demonstrate unity with you. I'm sure the Captain would have been preferable for you."

Spock looked over, and the candid pose plus the words must have done something, because Len could see the minute relaxation steal into the face.

"Doctor, your concern over that situation is noted, but unnecessary, as the mission had to proceed."

Len snorted. "Spock, I was basically going around the bases, to use a colloquialism, with you there against your will. I picked up on what hand-touching is when your parents were aboard."

Spock opened his mouth, shut it, quirked an eyebrow and his head, then nodded once.

Len wondered what conclusion he had just come to, but waited it out. His instinct for timing proved more than adequate to this task as Spock did speak.

"You were shielding so strongly to protect me from further aggravating the intrusion of privacy?"

"God, yes!" Len said quickly. "I wasn't going to make it any harder on you to get through that than I had to!"

"Intriguing."

That brought all of the frustration of not being able to be the one to help Spock through the violation to the fore, and Len knew he should probably rein it back, but he couldn't help himself. "Intriguing? You didn't realize it? Why you calculating, walking computer! Of course I shielded so you'd be safe from my illogical human emotions and thoughts!"

Spock actually hesitated, just a breath of a moment, before he answered seriously. "Forgive me, Doctor, I made the wrong deduction, given that the background hum of your presence is something I have come to accept as part of working so directly with you."

"What?"

Len calmed himself down quickly, as he felt that there was more he was missing, more than his actions being misinterpreted. Spock was aware of him, his thoughts — 

— he cut that sidetrack off swiftly. That did not need to come up as they were patching up their differences, manufactured as they now seemed to be, from that mission.

"Your error in assuming the Captain would have been preferable is on par with me deducing that your shielding was to hide a distaste, given my recent observation that humans tend to use humor and sarcasm to disguise their true negative emotions at certain situations. Working with you was a true testament to what the natives wished to see, as you and I have built a unity that does cross many barriers."

Len considered, then shook his head, a grin spreading. "For once, we really were both wrong."

"Indeed."

Len started to leave it at that, but he was meddlesome by nature, even when it wasn't the best thing for him. "Spock, while we're being candid, you mentioned a background hum?"

"A side effect of close contact with you at times of stress, Doctor, and one I would not consciously investigate. It is, however, something that I have grown accustomed to." Spock's shoulders had tightened just slightly, and Len almost reached out to touch him, as he would a human crewmate needing reassurance.

"Spock?" When the man fully met his gaze, Len nodded once. "I'm glad I can be something you find worth being accustomed to. You might be a walking medical nightmare with ice and logic at your core, but you make this mission interesting for me. But if you ever do… pick up stray thoughts in that noise? Forgive this old country doc for having a loud, wandering mind."

That had Spock raise both eyebrows, then steeple his hands in front of him, as the course did not require constant attendance. "Fascinating. I will have to consider at length the value of being in the regard of subconscious mental perambulations of interesting vectors."

Len had to splutter at that, even as Spock put his hands back on the controls. He made himself pull it together, unwilling to let Spock have the last word.

"Well, you've got a few years to consider it," he said, taking a risk by using a reference to the cyclical mating drive.

Spock did not dignify it with an answer, except to reach over and touch Len's hand with a faint caress.

* * *

Jim was pleased when the pair were, in their own way, bickering over the various small points of the mission, and watched them walk off together. All was right in his command staff again.

Only, as the pair moved down the corridor, Jim saw Bones put his hand on Spock's lower spine before they turned into a turbolift.

"Maybe a bit more than it was," he mused before going his own way.


End file.
